Beetle giving a sailor a bit of a scare! (6)

I believe the answer is:

scarab

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'beetle' is the definition.
(scarab is a kind of beetle)

I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.

(Other definitions for scarab that I've seen before include "divine thing once" , "Large dung beetle" , "Beetle regarded as divine by ancient Egyptians" , "old lucky charm" , "divine creature" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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